POSSIBLY TANJORE, SOUTH INDIA, 18TH CENTURY

The historic weapon of the mace is considered second only to the sword and played a key role in ceremonies as a symbol of power, authority and military prowess. The hilt of this impressive mace is in the form of a yali, a fearsome mythical beast. It is a well-known motif in the architecture of southern India, also used for smaller furniture fittings in ivory and wood, and often seen on the hilts of weapons. A comparable seventeenth century dagger from Tanjore, with a chiseled iron grip and pommel modelled as a yali is published in Robert Hales, Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour, a Lifetime’s Passion, 2013, cat.162, p.76. Another comparable sword hilt, dated to the seventeenth or eighteenth century from the private collection of the Raja of Tanjore is illustrated in Robert Elgood, Hindu Arms and Ritual, Arms and Armour from India, 1400-1865, Delft, 2004, cat.8.64, p.99.